Текст книги "Wicked for You"
Автор книги: Shayla Black
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Mystery gaped at him. She wasn’t even sure how to process his words. “It sounds like you were pretty devoted for not being her boyfriend.”
“It’s hard to explain the concept of Dominant and protector to people who apply the terms through their vanilla filter. I dated other people. She encouraged me to because we weren’t romantically involved. Emotionally, yeah. But not hearts and flowers. More like . . . friends with benefits, but the friendship far outweighed the sex.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “To be honest, Misty would only break down once or twice a year and ask for sex. Only then would she give herself voluntarily.”
Frowning, Mystery digested Axel’s words. Pity smothered her anger. “She was raped.”
He held up his hands. “Her secrets are her own. I care about you, Mystery, and I want to save whatever us we might have, but I can’t betray her confidence. It wouldn’t be fair.”
In a way, she respected him more for it. Yeah, it infuriated her and made her feel a bit like she was on the outside looking in. On the other hand, he stayed true to his friends and his principles. Mystery didn’t exactly understand this relationship he’d shared with Misty. But she also didn’t imagine Axel would be trying so hard to explain their odd, romantically platonic relationship if she wasn’t important to him.
She bit her lip, still trying to wrap her head around everything he’d said. “So she’s your submissive?”
“Not anymore. What you saw tonight was Misty and me moving on. Despite the fact that she’s not ready to be alone, she realized I could no longer be her Dominant in every way. She broke it off so I would be free to go after the woman who could make me happy. You.”
His words stunned her. Sizzled through her. Flattened her. Her cautious side told her not to leap too quickly at his pretty words. The rest of her jumped at them. “Is that why you came up to my aunt’s house?”
“Of course.” He searched her face. “Why else would I pull all kinds of strings to borrow a jet to reach you before you could slip through my fingers again?”
“I’m not just . . . a responsibility?”
“Fuck no. Why would you think that?”
Mystery ducked her head, wringing her hands. “Well, you told Heath that you came because my father wanted you here and—”
“Princess, I’m telling your bodyguard what I think he’ll actually hear because I don’t owe him the truth. You deserve to know what I’m thinking and how I feel, so here I am. I hope like hell you’re understanding me.”
She was, and hope welled inside her. Mystery didn’t want to be that naïve girl who believed everything the man she was crazy over told her, but she also didn’t want to be the cynic who let a good thing slip away because she was too jaded to believe. “I was excited you’d come here. Relieved.”
“Because you didn’t want to be alone with Heath? Did he hurt you?”
“No. He never would.” She bit her lip, oddly nervous, but if Axel was being so honest, she had to try, too. “I was glad you’d traveled up here because I figured if you did, I must mean something to you.”
He gave her a slow smile. “You could say that. When I realized you were gone, I fucking panicked. I’m just glad I found you and that you’re all right.”
His phone buzzed. He stared at the screen, then shook his head.
“Something wrong?”
“Misty. She can’t sleep and wants to know if I ‘got my girl yet.’ See?” He flashed her the phone.
Mystery read their last few messages, then wished like hell she hadn’t accused him of cheating. Now she felt somewhere between chastened and regretful. “She’s worried about you.”
He answered the woman quickly, and Mystery wished she knew what he’d said, but he tucked his phone away. “I might have been her protector, but she’s pretty protective, too.”
“Are you sad she won’t be there for you anymore?”
The kettle whistled on the stove, and before she could get to her feet, Axel made his way to it, poured the water, rummaged around for the honey and a spoon, then brought it to her. “Be careful. It’s hot.”
When he set the mug in front of her, their eyes met. She nodded solemnly, drowning in his deep blue stare. “Thanks.”
As she sat, he paused to collect his words. “We’ll always be friends. She can confide in me any time, and until she finds her One, I expect her to. Like any friend, if I see her floundering without someone to talk to, I’ll step in because I’m worried about her. But we didn’t ‘break up.’ We never had that sort of relationship to start with. But Misty wants more than I can give her.”
Of course she did. Mystery understood very well wanting more of Axel. “So she does want a boyfriend?”
He shook his head. “She wants a sadist. That’s not who I am.”
Mystery reared back, blinking at him. On the one hand, his admission relieved her. She didn’t have any interest in a man who yearned to give her pain. But . . . “Why would she want that?”
“I don’t think you’re a masochist, so you may not completely get it. But she enjoys the pain. It becomes its own pleasure. And in some cases, a masochist is able to release their internal pain with someone who torments them physically. It’s as if they can only process one agony at a time, so they have to let go of the one inside them. For some, like Misty, it’s really cathartic.”
“And you did that for her? You spanked or flogged or—”
“Sometimes. If she got really bottled up, I’d call in a sadist friend of mine from Houston and let him spend a few hours with her. She always seemed profoundly happy afterward.”
Mystery had a million questions. Had Axel minded watching another man give her pain? Had Misty slept with this other man, and had it bothered Axel? In fact, his whole arrangement with the woman boggled her mind. But the truth was, he didn’t seem upset about separating from Misty. Nor did he seem jealous that she might find someone else, only concerned that she’d find the right sort of someone. And Axel had been incredibly direct. The truth was, he could have told her that his thing with Misty was none of her business.
She sipped her tea and gathered her words. “You’re right. I don’t really get it. It might be selfish to say, but I’m glad you’re not with her anymore.”
“It’s for the best because we both want something else.” He dragged her chair closer. “After last night, I already knew I had to change my relationship with Sweet Pea. I couldn’t pull the emotional rug out from under her, but I also realized I couldn’t have sex with her anymore, not even for her sake. Not when I want you so much.”
Against her will, happiness flooded Mystery. She sat back in her chair, trying to sort everything out logically. Her mother might have called her foolishly trusting. Maybe Axel would hurt her in the end. On the other hand, she’d never know what could be if she didn’t give them a chance. She didn’t want to look back with regrets and wonder what if she’d really tried to believe in them? Right now, he must have a million doubts about her since she kept running out on him. The first time, he’d somewhat taken in stride. This last time, when she and Heath had fled Dominion? Mystery got the feeling she hadn’t begun to pay for that yet.
“Thank you for explaining. I overreacted when I saw you two. And I know you and I probably aren’t going anywhere, right? You live in Dallas and I live in London and—”
“Let’s cut the shit. I don’t know exactly what’s happening between us, but don’t sell us short. I want you. I don’t want it to end. I suspect I’m falling hard and fast—”
“I’m in love with you,” she blurted. As long as Axel was putting his cards on the table, she should, too. “I think I always have been. Seeing you with Misty . . . I freaked. I’m sorry. I guess I hit a sore spot with your mom and all by running off, but that wasn’t my intention.”
“I’ll be honest. That isn’t my only hang-up, but that’s my biggest.”
Mystery frowned. “She walked out on a husband and four boys? Just left?”
“Yeah. Said she was going to the grocery store. She drove into town, cleaned out our bank account, took our only car, and drove off. Last I heard, she’d shacked up with some guy in New Orleans.”
God, he must have been confused, sad, angry, lost. “You could track her down now and ask why.”
Axel shook his head, his frown telling her that he held in an emotional torment that haunted him. “I know why. She wanted more out of life than cooking and cleaning and working shifts at Walmart as a checker. She wanted adventure and money, not another fifteen years with the guy who’d knocked her up in high school. She’d been a baby having babies, and she’d come to the point in her life where she wanted something totally different than us.”
Her heart ached for him. She reached for Axel’s hand and squeezed it. “That had to be tough on you. How old were you?”
“Eight.” He didn’t state that her abandonment had hurt, but the stoic protector in front of her couldn’t keep the pain off his face.
Mystery slid out of her chair and climbed onto his lap. “You deserved more. She didn’t stay around to see what an incredible man you’ve become, and it’s her loss. You amazed me the day we met. You keep doing it every minute I’m with you.”
“Why do you keep leaving me, then?”
He asked the question so quietly, and it ripped her in two. She’d never imagined this big badass could look so vulnerable, and Mystery hated the fact that she’d put doubt in his heart.
“Look at us, both kind of lost in our own insecurities. You’re thinking I’m going to run out on you because it’s what your mother did. I’m thinking I’m not interesting or pretty enough, and a guy like you could get any woman he wanted, so of course you’d want women other than me. I’m just waiting, like my mom did, for you to cheat on me, even though we never committed to anything.”
“Bullshit. Maybe not with words, but what happened at Dominion felt pretty damn serious to me. You can’t look me in the eye and tell me that was just sex.”
Mystery shook her head. “That’s why seeing you with Misty crushed me. I’m afraid and I don’t want to wind up like my mom, you know?”
Axel held her close. “I do know. I don’t want to become a bitter, lonely alcoholic like my dad. So here it is: Giving you up after your rescue was something I had to do, not something I wanted to do. Giving you up now is something I won’t do without a damn good reason. I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before I’m telling you that I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”
Her insides went warm and gooey at his words. Just like everything else about him, his straightforward honesty amazed her. No game playing. No fronting. Just his unvarnished truth.
She smiled at him. “I’d like that.”
Axel brought her closer and gripped her face in his big hands. “But if you leave me again, I’ll be done. It’s not a threat, but an honest reality. I know myself and my limitations. I’m willing to stash my concerns now because we’ve had extenuating circumstances. But we’ve talked, so from here on out . . . If you run off, I’ll know it’s because you wanted and meant to. Are we clear?”
A bolt of fear struck to the bottom of her heart. Then she dismissed it as foolish. As much as she adored Axel, why would she intentionally leave him again? “I’m not going anywhere. We’ll figure out where and how we can be together later.”
“I’m never going to fit into that whole Hollywood scene.”
She scoffed at him. “Neither do I. Why do you think I’ve retreated into books? Why I didn’t protest the move to London, despite the mostly dreary weather and terrible food?”
He heaved a breath. “I don’t have much—”
“Stop there. Without my dad, I don’t, either. He buys me nice things when we have to appear in public because my image affects his. If I showed up in something I bought three years ago at Debenhams, the press would write about it.”
“De what?”
She laughed. “It’s a department store in London. Decent stuff, but nothing designer. Dad won’t have it if we have to walk a red carpet. The rest of the time, I live pretty normally.”
He raised a tawny brow at her. “The TMZ shit?”
“Only happens in the States. Frankly, I didn’t expect anyone to even care that I was back in the country. But I guess having a renowned director for a father, a mother who died an infamous death, and being dramatically rescued from a kidnapper only to become a recluse makes me interesting to these people, huh?”
“I’m sure.” He shrugged. “Look, I don’t have all the answers, but I know I don’t want to let you go again, Mystery.”
A warm glow suffused her. She smiled at him with her heart in her eyes. “I don’t want to let you go, either.”
Axel gave her a slow nod. “Good. The man in me is satisfied that we’re on the same page and talking. I like it.”
Mystery had a feeling she knew where he was going with this, and her heart tripped, then speeded up. Her breasts turned heavy. Her pussy began to ache. “But the Dom in you?”
He sent her a dark smile. “Is itching to punish you, princess. Go upstairs and wait for me, naked and kneeling by the door.”
Chapter Fourteen
AXEL watched the sway of Mystery’s hips as she sashayed out of the kitchen. The room was small and frilly and dated, but somehow welcoming. He’d also bet it was well stocked. If Gail Leedy liked baking, then she’d have drawers full of pervertables. Axel wished like hell that he’d brought a toy bag, but he’d only managed to throw a few necessities in his duffel before the Santiagos’ plane had been fueled and ready. He didn’t like being unprepared, but he’d figure out how to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Quickly, he found a wooden spoon, a few clothespins, a plastic container of rice, and a cutting board. He bypassed the twine probably used for things like tying turkey legs together. That stuff was tough on human circulation, and he wanted Mystery tightly but safely bound for what he had in mind.
Just as he perched the smaller items on the block of wood to take upstairs, he heard the back door creak open and slam shut. Axel cursed under his breath. Heath. Talk about bad fucking timing.
When the other man stormed in the kitchen, he didn’t look like the fresh air had improved his mood. Axel wished the asshole would give he and Mystery some breathing room.
Heath glanced at the bundle in his hands and cursed. “Are you joking, fuckwit? You’re going to paddle her with a wooden spoon like a naughty little girl for protecting her heart before you could crush it.”
Axel raised a brow. “And you helped her right out Dominion’s door, didn’t you?”
“She was upset,” he defended.
“She was vulnerable,” Axel growled in his face. “You took advantage of that because you’re dying to stick your cock in her and fuck her into next week. But Mystery is mine now. Get used to it. I intend to keep it that way.”
Heath ground his teeth together. “I shouldn’t be surprised you assume I have the most lascivious motive possible. I care about that girl—”
“That makes two of us.”
“I would lay down my life for her,” Heath argued.
“I did that when I barely knew her. I’d do it again. Are you trying to convince me that you’re not interested in having sex with her?”
“My personal feelings are none of your concern. Mystery’s safety and happiness are what I’m paid to upkeep, and frankly, I’ve given you too much latitude.”
“You haven’t given me shit except a hard time,” Axel argued. “Mystery and I talked through our problems just now and we know where we’re heading. I think I can make her happy. I have no intention of leaving, straying, or hurting her. You still got a problem with me?”
“And your girlfriend?” he challenged.
“Not my girlfriend. I already hashed this out with Mystery.”
“You truly have feelings for her?”
Axel was fucking tired of this guy being in his way all the time. “More than I can even express. I will never let anything happen to her as long as there’s a breath in my body.”
Heath sighed. “I need to talk to her.”
“Not going to happen right now. She’s waiting for me.”
“And everything in your hands?” He glanced at the items Axel had been balancing on the cutting board.
“What’s your point?”
Heath shook his head. “Forget it. We can argue later over Mystery’s love life. While I was walking about the farm, I started sorting through this tangle of events. There’s something about this setup I don’t like. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. Besides the three of us and Mystery’s aunt, who else knows we’re here?”
“My boss, Mitchell Thorpe, and the Santiago brothers. I think that’s it, and they would never tell anyone or put Mystery in danger. What about your stops on the drive along the way?”
“I concealed her with a baseball cap and some sunglasses in case people recognized her, but no one even glanced her way, and we did our best to stop a few miles from the freeway, at small establishments without many security cameras. I think we were safe.”
“So what’s making your hair stand up?” Axel asked. Because he had a few concerns that chafed him, too.
“First, we still don’t know who broke into her room and left the photo inside.”
True, and Stone was no doubt way busier with Sweet Pea than hacking into the hotel’s security recordings. He’d also probably crashed at the club last night, then had a five-hour drive home. With a grimace, Axel pulled his phone from his pocket and texted Stone. Right away, he got back a promise of information “soon.” What if that wasn’t soon enough?
Firing off another text to remind him that a life hung in the balance, he pocketed the device again. “I’ll give him another two hours before I bug the shit out of him.”
And Axel had to admit again that if Heath were guilty, he probably wouldn’t be pursuing that security footage from the hotel. If the film caught him sneaking into her room, his jig would be up. Sure, the stiff Brit could have paid someone to put the picture there, like the maid who usually provided turndown service or a maintenance worker. He’d be too slick to leave a trail leading back to him.
With a shake of his head, he filed that fact away until Stone came back with the film. “Something else bothering you about her stalker?”
“Everything. But what troubles me most is that he’s in control right now.”
Now Heath was speaking his language. “Agreed. I know Mystery wants to visit her aunt, but we’re cornered here. I’m not sure how the hell we solve her mother’s murder that took place in Southern California sixteen years ago while we’re stuck in rural Kansas.”
“Divide and conquer?”
As much as Axel would love to get Heath far away from Mystery, he shook his head. “It won’t be long until whoever’s terrorizing her realizes she didn’t hop a plane back to London. I’ll bet we’ve got twenty-four hours—tops—before this dirtbag gets suspicious. Where’s the first place he’ll come looking for her?”
“Here,” Heath answered grimly, gripping his chin. “Bloody hell. So both of us need to stay here for her protection, it seems.”
“If you want to go investigate, I could call some buddies—”
“I can’t leave her side,” the Brit insisted. “Her father paid me to stay with her. I made a solemn vow that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her on my watch.”
Knowing what he knew about Heath now, Axel supposed the guy’s insistence had something to do with his wife’s murder. He couldn’t fault the Brit for that. “Totally get it. That means we’re cornered here. Nifty.”
“Indeed. With no new leads to follow.” Heath sighed.
Well, not exactly . . . Axel weighed how much he could trust Heath versus his need to solve this case. Figuring out who had killed Julia Mullins and might want Mystery dead trumped everything.
“I got something fresh about an hour ago.”
That perked the Brit up. “Really? Enlighten me.”
Axel set his pervertables down on the counter and whipped out his phone again, then brought up the picture Joaquin had sent him. “Julia Mullins at the place of her death, less than an hour prior. She wasn’t alone.”
Powell peered at the picture. “Who is the man with her?”
“No idea.”
“He doesn’t look familiar to me, either.”
That wasn’t great news. It also wasn’t unexpected. “I definitely plan to ask Aunt Gail in the morning if she knows who her sister might have been close to back then. But . . .” Axel grimaced. “I’m torn about showing it to Mystery. She might have information.”
“She also might start a one-woman crusade to catch her mother’s killer.”
“Exactly.”
Heath shrugged. “Well, I think we show her. Then we’ll have to contain Mystery and do our best to solve this murder before the killer comes looking for her.”
And she deserved the truth. Axel agreed. “I don’t see any other plan.”
“I don’t, either. Damn it all.” He rubbed at his dark eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “I’m fucking exhausted.”
“We all are. Go to bed. We’ll tackle this after we’ve all slept.” Axel reached for his makeshift sex toys.
“You’re not going to leave her be tonight?”
Axel shook his head. “If I thought that was best for her, I would. She needs reassurance that I want her above all else. It’s the truth, so it shouldn’t be hard to persuade her. Then I’ll make sure she gets a good night’s sleep. I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough day tomorrow. You taking the parlor down here or the guest room upstairs, across the hall?”
Powell raised a dark brow. “Where will you be?”
“Right beside her.” At least he would be if all went according to plan.
The bodyguard dragged in a breath. “I’ll stay downstairs and keep watch. God knows the last thing I want to hear again is her screaming for you.”
“Does that bother you because you’re in love with her?”
“We’ll talk later.” Heath headed for the exit without answering, then turned to glance at the implements in Axel’s hands. “Be careful of the wooden spoon. It can leave nasty welts.”
“You know that from personal experience?” Somehow, that didn’t surprise Axel much.
The other man didn’t answer, just left in near silence, despite the fact that the hardwood floor creaked with nearly every step.
Once he’d gone and shut the double doors down the hall, Axel headed out of the kitchen, all but tiptoeing up the narrow stairs. Despite its dubious “character,” the old house was homey. He liked it here. When he’d been a kid growing up in a run-down double-wide with three brothers and an alcoholic father, he’d imagined that home looked a lot like this. He loved his place now, and was damn proud of it. But it had never felt like a place to stay forever. It had never felt like a place to share love. And now he was getting sappy as fuck.
With a stupid smile, he reached the top of the stairs, passing a big, decorative cross on the wall flanked by pictures of well-known televangelists Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, Peter Grace, and a few others Axel couldn’t identify. Mystery’s aunt clearly believed in her preachers.
Turning away with a shrug, he cracked open the first door on the right. Mystery knelt there, waiting, head bowed, naked and pale in the moonlight.
As he set the cutting board and other goodies on the nearby dresser, his breath caught. “Princess . . .”
“Axel.”
He crouched down to her and lifted her chin. She blinked, her eyes opening, focusing on him. They stared at each other in silence. Mystery reached into his chest and tugged on his heart. The uncertainty in her hazel eyes got to him, the yearning for love, the crash of desire all struck resonating notes inside him.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“I’m not.” She tried to drop her gaze.
He gripped her chin, refusing to let her. “You are, and I won’t hear arguments otherwise. Understand?”
A little smile tipped the corners of her lips. “Yes, Axel.”
“Hmm, when you go submissive that sweet voice of yours wraps around my cock.” He held out a hand to her. “Stand.”
Mystery allowed him to help her to her feet and looked around the room, a bit lost, like she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“Relax,” he instructed. “I’ll let you know what I want. You tell me if you can’t handle something. Easy breezy. Just us being us together in whatever way feels good, yeah?”
She nodded and released a breath, along with visible stress. “Yeah.”
“Good. Bend over the side of the bed for me. Stretch your arms up, head to one side. Plant your feet apart.”
She moved slowly, as if she tried to picture the pose in her head. After a long moment, she arranged herself exactly as he’d instructed, then looked to him for reassurance.
Axel gave it readily. “That’s it. What’s your safe word?”
“Red.”
“Good.” He bent over the bed, getting down to eye level with her. “This punishment is as much for you as it is for me. I need to know that you understand that running from me without communicating isn’t acceptable. If something bothers you, we talk. Vice versa. I also need to make it crystal clear that as long as you’re in danger, you don’t leave half your protection to lick your wounds.”
“I know it was stupid,” she admitted. “I was upset. I jumped to conclusions—”
“Understandable, given what your mom went through. I’m not punishing you for thinking it or wondering or worrying. I need to be clear about that. This is all about you leaving without talking to me. We could have cleared this up with a conversation. Now it’s going to take a whole lot more.”
Mystery nodded. “I’m sorry. By the time Heath cut the lights and we left out the back, I was having second thoughts. Once we got outside and the door locked behind us, it was too late.”
Axel stroked her soft curls. “I’m glad to know you were already reconsidering before you’d even gone. Want to tell me why you didn’t call me or answer your phone during the drive? Even your dad tried to call.”
She winced. “Shit. Oh, he’s going to be worried. And mad.”
“He wasn’t the only one. You’d better get used to having another overprotective male in your life.”
“Yeah . . . I think I left my phone back at Dominion. Damn it.”
And Axel doubted Heath would have been in a hurry to lend her his phone so she could call the competition. Shithead. “I’ll find out in a few hours.”
“Thanks.” She obviously sensed the end of the conversation and stiffened.
He petted her back, fingers gliding down her spine. “Deep breath. In.” He waited until she complied. “Out. Good . . . Close your eyes.”
Mystery did exactly as he bid, her lashes fluttering shut. “Now?”
“Clear your head and focus on me. Don’t open your eyes. Latch onto my voice. I’m here.”
She nodded, but before he could correct her, she murmured, “Yes, Axel.”
Blowing out a breath, he centered himself and retrieved the wooden spoon from the dresser. He rested his palm on the small of her back as he leaned over her beautiful supine curves and bent to press his lips to her ear. “You’re going to be very quiet. No matter what, don’t make a sound. I don’t think you want your aunt to know that I’m punishing you.”
“No,” she muttered, sounding so regretful.
Axel understood the submissive need to please and the inherent sadness when she knew she hadn’t. “And then we’ll put this behind us, right?”
“I hope so.” Her voice nearly broke.
“Shh, we will. Count with me.”
Before she could question what he meant, Axel stood tall and flipped on the little lamp on the nightstand. With a glance back, he ensured the door to the bedroom was closed. He noticed that Mystery had already shut the curtains. They were completely, blessedly alone.
He raised his arm over her ass, hovering a moment to judge her posture, take in her tender, unblemished skin. He wasn’t much of a sadist, but he did love the idea of leaving his marks on her—something she could remember him by every time she sat, something he’d recall when she stripped for him again. But he also refused to lose sight of the fact that she was a novice and he couldn’t frighten her away.
With one last brush of his fingers across the sweet curve of her ass, he lowered the spoon with the other hand—a quick sting before he jerked up again.
“One,” she breathed out.
He struck the fleshy part of her butt again, this time a bit harder, gratified to see the first blush of red spreading across her skin.
“Two.” She squeezed her eyes shut more tightly.
She looked beautiful spread across the bed, at his mercy, but the slow pace drove him fucking mad. He had to change this up.
“Mystery, you’ve done well so far. You don’t have to count anymore.”
At his words, she utterly relaxed, the tension draining from her face, her body, as she let out a long breath.
So she thought they were done? Not even close.
Axel pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled to his playlist. Immediately, the sounds of Nirvana filled the room. Though he kept the volume low, the beat remained steady, something he could zone in to. Perfect.
Matching the pace of the music, he took the spoon in hand again and began whacking her butt in a soft, stinging rhythm. Under his tempered torment, Mystery tensed, grabbed the quilt in her fist, and gasped.
He leaned over her again, taking her long tresses in his grip and urging her up until his lips brushed her ear. “Not a single noise or I add more.”
She nodded frantically, at least as much as his hold allowed. He tested her immediately, standing tall again and whacking her with the spoon. More red bloomed across her ass. He’d nearly covered the width of her backside. The lovely shade of her freshly spanked skin made his cock jerk, and he desperately wanted to cast the spoon aside and lay siege to her bare ass with his palm, but that would make too much noise and wake her aunt. Damn it. The moment he got her alone and naked . . . Axel smiled. Such a beautiful backside needed attention, and he’d give her plenty.
The music segued into a mellower Evanescence tune, and he adjusted the rhythm. He’d lost count. He’d bet she had, too, especially as he watched her body slowly melt into the mattress. Her fists unclenched around the quilt. Her eyes slid shut. Her breathing evened out. Her cheeks began to glow with his ministrations.
Axel smiled. She’d fly off into subspace for him someday. This little torment had merely refocused and calmed her—exactly what she’d needed.
As the song shifted from verse to chorus, Axel set the spoon aside and crawled on the bed over her, rubbing one palm over her heated butt. “How are you feeling?”
“My skin is hot. I feel so alive. It might sound odd but I’m more relaxed. My head is . . .”
“Quieter?” he prompted.
